Pruit Igoe & Prophecies
by Felicity Dream
Summary: He doesn't know it, but she's his guardian angel. She doesn't know it, but she's supposed to protect him. Their meeting causes a War of Angels, and Snow and his guardian demon decide it's finally time to destroy the world. Includes Angel!Katniss, HalfDemon!Snow, and an incoming apocalypse.
1. Hark the Angels Come

Disclaimer: Nope, just a fanfiction writer. I would be richer, if I did.  
Story: Seneca Crane doesn't know it, but Katniss Everdeen is his guardian angel. She's doesn't know it, but she's supposed to protect him. When they meet, they collide and soon leads to the War of Angels.  
Set AU of the first book, "The Hunger Games."  
Spoilers: Probably.  
Warnings: Cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Seneca/Katniss, one-sided Gale/Katniss, one-sided Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Clover, Peeta/Cashmere, Gloss/Madge, etc.

A/n: I'm in a bit of a block with "Caged Nightingale" and I'm hesitant to even do anything with "The Taste of Nightlock on Your Lips" because of the site...but I don't want to seem like I've disappeared to fans of those stories. So this fic is apology gift please? (puppy eyes)

**Pruit Igoe & Prophecies  
**_Chapter One: Hark the Angels Come_

"_Are you an angel, little one?"_

"_Can you see me?"_

"_Yes. Why are you here?"_

"_I'm your guardian angel! I'm supposed to protect and watch over you."_

_She's a cute little thing, with blonde hair that looked pretty on her (and yet why does he get the feeling it doesn't suit her) and gray eyes. She has a cherubic little face that really does make her look like one of the baby angels of the old religious relics._

"_**Angelus custos meus**, where are your parents? You really shouldn't be here. It's dangerous," he says this because though he's okay camping out in the arena to see how well it will be for the games, he knows no little girl barely able to go to school should be in there._

_She giggles. "Silly. I told you. I'm an angel. I may be four, but I'll be the best guardian angel ever!"_

_He laughs lightly and decides to keep playing along after all. It'll be good company and he won't be so lonely, and it's better to keep her with him than to let her off and get hurt by herself._

"_Well, I'm twenty and this is my first year as a Gamemaker. Tell me about yourself, Angelus," he gently prodded her._

"_Okay…but I won't tell you my name! You have to guess, okay?"_

"_Fine. But surely you have to at least give me a clue?" he smiles in amusement._

"…_Hm. My first name is a plant and my last name is a tree," and then she smiles back simply and Seneca Crane's breath stops short._

_What a beautiful sight._

Madge Undersee was the Mayor's daughter. Because of that, she lived better than most people. But because of _that_, she didn't really have friends her age, because most of them envied or automatically thought she was stuck up.

There was one girl though…

Madge didn't know many things, but she did know…could feel that there was something very different…very special about Katniss Everdeen. The other little girl drew people to her, even if some reluctantly, like moths to a flame. But once you were with her and close, you felt a kind and safe warmth and you never get the burn you expected to.

She was no exception and she was very glad for her quiet and stable relationship with the girl in school. Sometimes though…she wish she could have a little more courage to talk to her more and even be friends with her outside of school…

She was not alone in her feelings.

Darius Toretto, having just transferred to District 12 and was in his first year as an official peacekeeper, would meet the girl and his usual cocky attitude would tone down and he'd softened up just for her. There was also Cray Ruthers, an older man and Head Peacekeeper of District 12 for three years. He also would become fond of Katniss and at times feel judged when her eyes landed on him at certain times, or guilty after a moment of satiation with one of the women of the district he'd propositioned. He'd dread the day she'd become older and could listen about tales, but he would never let her see or come after her himself.

Many others in the district would learn to feel a certain way about Katniss, but there would always be just the one man –one who was actually miles away from her –that would feel the closest.

_Was it strange to be proven wrong? He'd thought it all a game, a child's imagination running. But before his eyes, the little girl (whose name he'd never guessed) vanishes into thin air, smiling at him with a quick look of surprise at her fading._

_A real angel. He has a real guardian angel to look over his shoulder._

_He would go about his life normally, never feeling any different or feel any eyes on him. He'd learn to think it was an illusion, a simple hallucination he must have dreamt up as a cause from something in the arena._

_Then one day, he would learn differently._

_One step. One step and he could've died. He steps across the courtyard, the crane with the glass above his head, and it's let go and it's about to land on him at any moment. Little arms grab him and pull him back roughly and he's staring down at his tiny guardian angel with fire in her eyes and a determined look on her face. She has inhuman strength, this one…_

_He can't imagine any other four year old, angels or not, dragging a twenty year old to safety on ordinary strength._

"_Told you I would be a great guardian angel!" she beams at him before disappearing._

_And then he's left to be fretted over by hysterical and nonsensical people…_

"Katniss, dear, help me with Prim?" her father asked her with a gentle smile.

She happily skips over to him and feeds the newest addition to the Everdeen family eagerly.

"_I have a little sister now. She's **tiny**," his little angel amusingly holds her hands out and measures a small space. "Even tinier than me."_

"_Are you sure? You're pretty tiny," he teases._

_She pouts and he laughs, patting her head as he quietly moves the page of the manual all the Gamemakers must look over for the coming games. He has to focus on this too, as much as he'd like to give all his attention to the little one on his lap. It was his first year as a **real **Gamemaker, not a lower level subordinate that worked as crew in the Control Room under the games' Head Gamemaker. He's quite proud of his accomplishment, as he's one of –if not the youngest –to ever make it to that title._

_Suddenly, small hands take the manual from his hands and shoves it away and off the table. Bewildered and upset, he looks at the angry girl, who still looks cute with her angry pout._

"_Why did you do that, Angelus?" he asks with a frown. "I know I'm a little distracted and not paying attention to you, but that's no reason to do such a rude thing, little one."_

"_That's bad," she says bluntly and he's confused until she points sharply at the abused manual on the ground. "It's all bad."_

_He opens his mouth to protest, but she hops off his lap and moves away._

"_It's not good and I don't like it," she says solemnly, with a grave look on her face to him. "Bye."_

"_What? Wait! Don't leave! Please stay!" he yells in alarm, frightened that he'd never get to see her again because of this and he'd be back to being a lonely man focused only on his work._

_But she's gone before the final word leaves his lips._

The 62nd Hunger Games come and go. District 12 barely watched them; bitterly thinking yet another two children is taken away. Katniss stared at the screens with embittered and yet sad eyes, feeling deep down that something was wrong, and not understanding the hurt and pain in her chest.

_It's the next year before he sees her again and he's filled with a sense of joy and fear that she could leave him again. She's a little more sad when she sees him, but just as joyful and missing him as much._

"_Why'd you leave?" he asks unhappily as he gives her a piggyback in his new penthouse. It would look odd doing it anywhere else, as no one else could see her. "At least for so long?"_

_She tugs slightly at his hair. "I'm sorry. I can't control when I come all the time. I come when you're in danger and when you're lonely and when you feel sad and everything. But I think when I'm unhappy with you, I stay away for a long, long time. I don't really know."_

"_Promise to stay this time?"_

"_Pinky promise!"_

_So he holds out his little finger and folds it around hers._

Time passed by. Things don't really change much, but there are some things of note. Katniss was eight years old now and happily a big sister. Her father taught her a lot of stuff and she always enjoyed the time spent with him.

There, however, was a man she doesn't know but vaguely sees in her head all the time. He has dark, raven hair and cool blue eyes. His eyes are icy when he's focused or intent on something, but steely when he's upset or angry. She sort of remembers memories with him, strange memories she doesn't quite remember at the same time.

She was pretty sure she knew the man, but at the same time it was all rather hazy.

_Four years has passed since his first meeting with his little guardian angel. Any time his life has been threatened in any way, no matter if it was intentional (or not) or even an allergy attack, she was there to help. He also notices she was right. If he was ever especially upset, she was there. In fact, any time he was lonely –**every time** –she was always, always there._

_That never changes._

Katniss was in the meadow by herself. She knows she's not supposed to be, but she can't help it. She was too impatient to wait for her dad and she wanted to be out here, where everything felt so free and peaceful.

She spotted a stream far out in her wanderings and she went after it, eager for new grounds to explore. She carefully skimmed down the hill and went down to the stream, where she followed it to where she spotted an abandoned area full of empty buildings. She blinked in surprise, not knowing that there was this whole place next to her district, some place that no one knew about.

Grinning without reservation, she eagerly went into buildings and explored to her heart's content. She played until it was close to sunset, where she ran off back to head to District 12 with her little secret.

Every day that week, she headed back to the strange, empty place and played enthusiastically in it. She would play pretend, or just simply explore, trying to find all the best hiding places she could and fit herself in the nooks and crannies she found.

But one day, something changed.

She found a new building that she had yet to explore, and looked at the side of the building, where the wall was decorated with all sorts of graffiti. The largest was the words "PRUIT IGOE SECOND COMING" in bold and capital letters. She blinked and scrunched up her eyebrows, not understanding what that meant. Deciding to shrug it off, she headed in and decided to explore a bit first before she would start to play.

When she was on the third floor, however, she heard a loud noise from the bottom floor. Nervous, she quietly walked to the door, but was horrified to find it had squeaked, very audibly at that, when she opened it. It went quiet from under her and she anxiously stayed still, straining her hearing. Then there were loud footsteps rushing up the stairs from her left and she practically flew from her spot as she ran to the opposite stairway.

"Hey you!"

"Damn it, did they see anything? We have to get them!"

'_I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything!'_ she wanted to scream to them. Instead, she practically pushed her legs to the limit as she dangerously rushed down the precarious stairway, finally reaching the bottom floor and trying to dash out.

She didn't know that building as well as the others, but if she could get to one of the ones she knew…

She would be sure to be able to hide from them for sure. Unfortunately, she heard footsteps closing in behind her and she saw one man coming at her from her right and another coming from her left. She couldn't move in any direction, but straight. And she didn't even _recognize_ this building…

Rushing in, she ran through the place without looking and ended up in a large room, with extravagant and yet solemn decorations. The pews were all lined up and she sneezed a little from all the dust. Suddenly, she heard music playing and she looked to see a strange sort of piano near the front and a little ways away from where she'd rushed out of a door. That same door was slammed opened and then closed, and another door from the opposite side of the room, parallel to that one, was opened and closed as well. Then the doors behind her, the front of the building she realized (she must've entered it from the back), opened and stayed opened –light spilling into what she now realized was a church.

Shivering in fear and crying softly, she slowly backed away, towards the piano, while the man from entrance came towards her with a grave face. The two other men quietly stayed at their spots, guarding the doors.

Quickly turning around, knowing she was trapped, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. Instinctively knowing the man was coming close, she started saying a prayer in her terror.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," she heard him stop, probably midway into the room while she was right in front of the piano.

"Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us," she opened her eyes and looked up, just in time for her tearful eyes to see a strange statue of man hanging on a cross.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," she murmured –

Three shots rang out and blood splattered across the organ still playing eerily by itself.

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen," the unknown man murmured in turn.

Started 4/26/12 –Completed 4/26/12

A/n: Forgive the overly religious overtones, but it can't be helped with part of the subject of the story (guardian _angels_, duh ^.~). I will try not to be the 'shove religion down your throat' thing, but I want to do the 'guardian angel' story, while expanding on it and making it serious –as well as being able to use my usual allusions, references, etc (which will be more Biblical than usual because again –guardian angel). I also remember that religion isn't really mentioned or whatever in the trilogy, so I get to play around with the idea of that for a bit in this universe (what happened, what do they remember, etc.).


	2. For Heaven Told

Disclaimer: Nope, just a fanfiction writer. I would be richer, if I did.  
Story: Seneca Crane doesn't know it, but Katniss Everdeen is his guardian angel. She's doesn't know it, but she's supposed to protect him. When they meet, they collide and soon leads to the War of Angels.  
Set AU of the first book, "The Hunger Games."  
Spoilers: Probably.  
Warnings: Cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Seneca/Katniss, one-sided Gale/Katniss, one-sided Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Clover, Peeta/Cashmere, Gloss/Madge, etc.

**Pruit Igoe & Prophecies**  
_Chapter Two: For Heaven Told_

"Cray. Cray! CRAY!" Darius ran, holding the bundle in his arms securely so he wouldn't jostle his precious package, but trying to make sure not to squeeze too tight.

"What is it, Toretto?" Cray grumpily met him at the door. "It's nearly midnight –what in the world?"

"It's Katniss! You know –Everdeen –" he hysterically blurted out.

"I know who she is!" Cray snapped out, grabbing him and pushing him away. "Run to the hospital, you idiot! You should've gone there! I'll meet you over there!"

And while Cray slapped on some clothes and got ready to rush over to meet them, Darius ran to the hospital with Katniss in his arms. There, he waited as Katniss was worked on, feeling cold and numb and wishing the rain would just go away.

"You're soaked, son," Cray muttered, arriving out of breath.

Darius shrugged carelessly.

"What happened?"

"Christopher Everdeen, Katniss' Dad? He told me Katniss had been missing. He hadn't seen her all day, so he asked if I would help search for her. He showed me the meadow, out in the forest, where Katniss usually snuck out to and played around at, but she wasn't there. We split up and I stumbled onto a stream and followed it, all the way to an abandoned miniature town. Place was empty. Or I thought it was. I was looking around when I heard some quiet crying passed an old building –I went in and saw Katniss just lying there and blood was everywhere and she looked dead –"

Cray shook him gently because he was starting to become hysterical again.

He hated to ask it, but…"Did you get here in time?"

Darius shook his head and his hands went up to clutch it. "I don't know," he croaked out. "They haven't told me anything and I've just been sitting here, panicking and wondering if she's still alive or if she's going to make it."

Cray pulled his coat a little closer to himself and pulled up his collar. "Okay. Stay here –I'm going to inform the Everdeen's. If Topher isn't there, I'll go search for him in the forest and tell him that Katniss' been found and is here."

Darius nodded slowly and then the Head Peacekeeper was gone.

As this was going on, while she was being worked on in the hospital, Katniss herself was actually somewhere else.

"Angelus?" a worried voice, with an undercurrent of fright, reached her. She opened her eyes wearily.

And there was her charge.

"What's wrong? What's happening?"

She blinked lethargically and couldn't open her mouth to answer him.

For him, it was frightening and upsetting to see his little guardian angel laid out in front of him, with blood splatters all over her dress and matting in her hair.

"Don't go away, please. Don't die," because she looked like she was dying and it was scaring him. "Please stay with me, Angelus."

She smiled a little at him, eyes watering. "I'm so cold. It's…so cold."

He swallowed heavily, kneeling down next to her and holding her little hand.

"Then let me help you get warm," he murmured before moving to lie on his side and watch her, strangely feeling tears escape his eyes. It's been so long since he'd cried…

"You have wings now, Angelus."

"Do I?"

"Yes…they're beautiful."

Her head turned towards him and their clasped hands held tight, while the two quietly cried with each other. And when her head turned to stare at the ceiling and her eyes glazed over, he gently pulled her closer to him and cried against her head, feeling the crusted blood in her hair scratching against his face. But it was okay, because her little chest was still moving slightly and she was still with him…

Back in District 12, Katniss there was having trouble staying stable. Many times it seemed like a lost cause or that they'd lost her. For all they could tell, they _were_ losing her and their efforts were in vain. However, they kept on, not stopping in case they'd managed to make a miracle and help her pull through.

The small Everdeen family sat together in grief and anxiety, huddled in a group in the waiting room. Darius still sat there with them, nerves shot and every once and awhile his hands would start clenching and unclenching nervously. Cray stood in a corner, leaning heavily against the wall and giving the family room as he waited himself, tense as a bow for any news.

They waited and Seneca Crane embraced their daughter in another place.

"You still haven't guessed my name," her smile turned painful.

His fingers lightly touched her wings, reverently brushing them against the feathers.

"Am I getting close?" he forced out the tease. He didn't really feel like starting to go through the list of plants and trees he knew, like he always did whenever they met as a ritual, always trying to guess her name.

"No," she said softly. "Stay with me?"

"Of course I will."

"Mmkay," her eyes started to drift close and he began to slightly panic.

"Angelus, don't sleep. Don't sleep just yet."

"But I'm so tired," she murmured.

"Just stay awake with me."

But even as she forced her eyes open, she began to fade in his arms.

"W-wait! Angelus?"

But she was already gone and he was left dumbfounded and in shock, which would soon give way to fear and panic.

* * *

They worked all into the morning. Several close calls and times where she was gone from them seemed to discourage them, but in the end –they'd managed to stabilize her. Morning was dawning bright and early, and it was around five that Katniss had her first visitor.

It was not her family or even any of her sparse friends that came to visit her first…it was strangely the Head Peacekeeper.

Cray entered the room, solemnly gazing down on the little barely alive girl on the bed. He was warned that she might not be conscious for awhile, but even if a chance for a few moments, he needed to see her. He came closer, stopping by her bedside and hesitated before he sat down on the chair provided next to her. He reached out and grabbed her hand and stared at her, frown deepening with each minute that passed. And then he felt her hand twitch and he nearly bolted over to stand right next to her, using his other hand to brush back her blonde hair.

He liked her brown hair better. He couldn't understand why Sierra Everdeen had wanted to dye her daughter's hair blonde, even with Topher telling him his wife had just wanted their daughter to at least look a little like her. And now with Primrose being born and being a natural blonde, he would have assumed Sierra would have let Katniss go back to being a brunette.

Katniss' hand twitched again and he leaned over, praying she'd wake up. Just for a few moments…

"Katniss, darling, are you awake? I need you to talk to me for a second," he murmured.

After a minute had gone by, he'd assumed that she hadn't awoken and his words hadn't reached her. However, her eyes began to painstakingly open and he could see the pain clear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, dear. I just need to ask one question and you need to answer it. Then I'll leave you be."

When she gave a slow nod, he looked her right in the eye and took a deep breath.

"Who did this?"

She looked at him sadly and her hand holding his tugged it a little closer to her, in a gesture meant to mean for him to come closer. He did, putting his ear right next to her mouth, and felt her rattling breath against it. He refrained from the urge to shiver.

Silently her mouth moved and to outsiders it would look like she hadn't been able to say anything but move her mouth to the names, and yet Cray had managed to hear the lowest of whispers escaping her mouth.

He moved away and nodded jerkily at her, mouth creasing back into a frown. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"Okay, darling. Now you just rest. I promise you things will be right."

Her eyes closed again and she went back into a painful sleep. He sighed before determination settled onto his features and he strode out of that room purposefully. He went to the Peacekeepers Headquarters in the district and searched out Darius.

"Round up the boys," he said shortly.

The younger peacekeeper looked at him questioningly, though the red-haired man had wanted to ask his superior about Katniss –the medical professionals in charge had forced everyone to leave, except Cray who'd managed to force his way into staying and being the first visitor.

"Sir?"

"We're going on a witch hunt," Cray said viciously, bitterness coloring his tone.

Darius somehow understood that immediately, anger making its way onto his face.

"Do we know who they are?"

Cray's lips actually curled into a sneer. "One Town, one Seam…and one Peacekeeper."

Darius swore, knowing a little better why Cray was especially even more vicious at finding out who had hurt Katniss and almost killed her, and why there had been any bitterness at all.

"Getting them, sir," he muttered, ready to go round up the peacekeepers to go on this manhunt they were all itching to start once they even had a hint of who had been involved. "Who was…who are we going after first?"

The peacekeeper involved.

"Don't worry. They're all still in the area where you found Katniss, I'm pretty sure. We'll be coming after them together, en masse," Cray clenched his jaw and Darius left to do as he was told.

It wasn't long until there was a group of them together, with the rest stoically keeping watch and waiting their turn for when they dragged the men responsible back to the district. A handful of them took some batons, with Cray and Darius grabbing a gun just in case they needed them and to prevent any of the men from escaping.

Darius wasted no time showing them the meadow and then leading them to the stream and then to the area. Quietly, they trekked through the place until Darius showed them the building that had housed Katniss' still body.

They entered and Cray's eyes immediately zeroed in on the blood-splattered organ at the front of the room, sitting innocently underneath an ornament of a man nailed to a cross. The pews had a coating of dust, as did most of everything in the ornate room, and there was an altar in the middle of the area. He frowned at it and came towards it, clenching his jaw as he examined the thing.

The dust here was disturbed. This was where the man…probably his _subordinate_…had stopped and found a trapped Katniss. He'd stopped here…raised his hand…

Cray echoed the movements as he visualized it, raising his arm and holding his gun out, pointing it to where he could pretend a terrified Katniss would be standing right in front of the organ. Her eyes were wide…filled with tears, with tracks down her face…her lips would be quivering and her tiny body would be trembling…

He pulled the trigger twice and she fell down, dead and glassy eyes staring at him.

"Cray?" Darius' quiet voice broke into his reenactment.

He blinked and the images dissolved from his mind, and instead he was looking down at the floor where he could see a large pool of blood had dried over. He felt sick and wanted to retch, but refrained; although, an undercurrent of rage refueled in him after that. Instead, he gathered his wits and looked at his men.

"This is where it ended. We follow the trail, where the dust has been disturbed and move."

They all nodded solemnly and left the room, with Cray glancing back at the altar and then the place where Katniss had lain once more before leaving the place.

However, time there had given away their position to the three men involved and their prey were starting to panic and had begun motions to flee with their load. Still, there were more of them than the three men and as an angry mob, they chased after the three men unforgivingly. They made it around a few buildings in the ghost town, before they finally caught up with the culprits.

Without mercy, they separated the three and viciously began beating on them, harshly aiming kicks at vulnerable places and punching at any available space. The batons they brought with them was put to use, smashing against the Seam man's jaw, and breaking some ribs of the Town man.

It was the peacekeeper, the leader of this group and who was supposed to be their brethren, that they saved absolutely _no_ mercy for and was more ruthless on than the other two.

"What was that saying?" Cray murmured to the man, glaring coldly down on him. "No mercy for the wicked?"

He took out the Beretta 93R he favored, and pointed at the man. His finger twitched around the trigger and deep down inside of himself he felt hesitation. But then he steeled himself and at least aimed lower, firing twice at the man's knees.

The man screamed in pain and buckled down, falling to the ground and howling at the agony he was going through because of the shots. Cray stared at him blankly, hearing the screams but feeling nothing.

"Do unto others as we would have done onto ourselves," the Town man murmured.

The Seam man laughed hysterically.

Started 4/27/12 –Completed 4/27/12

**A/n: This is probably not obvious, but remember in the first chapter Katniss was shot three times but Cray only counted two here. That's important :D Also, I'm slowly getting my Senekiss muse back so I'm working on "Nightlock". I would be working on "Nightingale", but my notes on it was on my laptop which is being "fixed" (for a lack of a better word) right now (I think I can get out the last of the "Phobias" and then will Interludes be good until I can get my notes back?).**

**I was also thinking, to help get my Senekiss muse back on track, that I could start an ask blog for them on Tumblr? Would you guys be interested in asking questions or whatever?**

To Guest #1: As I said above, I'm working on Nightlock again. To hell with the site and plus my muse is coming back. AO3 is hugely backed up and I'm just kind of annoyed with having to reupload things. It doesn't seem like it, but it's a lot of work uploading alongside making chapters and editing them. I always leave like a huge, bolded, italic note on top when I can remember anyways.

To Lena: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter as well!

To Guest #2: Thank you and I'm glad you think it's original so far!

To Guest #3: No, as you can see it's not done. Seneca, so far, has been featured in the flashbacks in the last chapter. In this chapter, he's more present with Katniss (who is with him in a "special" way, as obviously her body is still in District 12 and yet Seneca is in the Capitol). I said in the summary that there's still a war coming up, right?

**A/n: Yes, another one –obviously, there are some people confused. Last chapter, just read the end again and focus on the WORDS. Three shots, blood splatters, people. Not hard to draw conclusions. I'm inferring here. I didn't want to spell it out, especially as some of it is revealed in this chapter and more will be continuously revealed. If it's the italics part, those are flashbacks and a way to separate Katniss' time with Seneca and where she actually is in District 12. I'm trying not to be impatient and I don't want to sound or act like a bitch, but there are some things and sometimes where I just get really impatient. I could just do a panel at the end of every chapter and just do a full explanation of what's going on in each chapter, if a majority of people would like that (I'll be less impatient by then, because usually when I get impatient I usually cool down and go back to being extremely patient as always). But there will be extreme spoilers and reveals of plot twists; I DO understand that, however, that some people can be just as impatient with plot twists and etc., which due to the nature of this fic (which is going to be filled with mysticism, vagueness, and religious tones) will be filled as such.**


	3. Madonna on the Rocks

Disclaimer: Nope, just a fanfiction writer. I would be richer, if I did.  
Story: Seneca Crane doesn't know it, but Katniss Everdeen is his guardian angel. She's doesn't know it, but she's supposed to protect him. When they meet, they collide and soon leads to the War of Angels.  
Set AU of the first book, "The Hunger Games."  
Spoilers: Probably.  
Warnings: Cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Seneca/Katniss, one-sided Gale/Katniss, one-sided Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Clover, Peeta/Cashmere, Gloss/Madge, etc.

**Pruit Igoe & Prophecies**  
_Chapter Three: Madonna on the Rocks_

"Tie them up," Cray ordered stoically. "Wrap the rope around the ankles and wrists, and have another tied to the one around their ankles. Drag 'em through town, boys. Let's show 'em we don't tolerate child killers."

His time spent in District 12 had definitely made him more against young ones being harmed, and had started to hardened himself against the Hunger Games themselves. But this was even more difficult. The victim was even younger than what was acceptable for the games. And worse –it was Katniss Everdeen, someone who the entire district quietly agreed was the light and hope of their district. She was someone who somehow had some unknown power to pull you in; Katniss just had this instinctive aura that made people feel better and want to _be_ better people. And when you did wrong…she would look at you and her eyes would dim, like she somehow knew.

Cray clenched his jaw, glaring down at the broken men at his feet. Images that he'd imagined, trying to see what could have been Katniss' last moments, flitted through his head again, and he wished he hadn't felt a moment of conscience and had shot his former subordinate dead. Just what he'd imagined made him feel sick –if that was how he felt with just his imagination, he couldn't see how anyone could have done the deed if they'd actually been there or had done it themselves.

In no time, they were back in the district, people already milling around and going about their daily tasks. They stopped, however, as the group of peacekeepers shockingly dragged three beaten up men through the roads, reaching the town square where the old whipping posts still stood from the old days with the past Head Peacekeepers. All three men were strung up, tied to the posts with their arms hung above them. Darius' quickly made signs were hung around their necks.

The former peackeeper's read "I TRIED TO KILL KATNISS EVERDEEN," while the others shared the same message, "I STOOD BY AND WATCHED."

There were a lot of shocked gasps and murmurings started to spread through the rapidly gathering group. No one had known what had happened, except the Everdeen family, Darius (who had been informed by Topher), Cray (who had been informed by Darius), and the peacekeepers (who Darius had told after returning in agitation from the hospital). Now the news was out and outraged cries were ringing out from the crowd.

"They're the ones…they're the ones who did that to my daughter?" Topher croaked out, and the crowd parted for him like the red sea.

His jaw was visibly working in anger while his eyes started to darken in rage. His whole body shook with righteous fury and he stalked closer to them slowly.

"Topher," Cray murmured, hesitantly stepping towards the man.

"They're the ones guilty for my daughter being nearly dead in the hospital?" he yelled and then practically tossed himself forward, trying to get to them.

Darius jolted forward and grabbed onto him, struggling against him to keep him back.

"Please, Mr. Everdeen. Calm down. We have the situation under control. Everything will be handled and justice will be done. Sir!"

But Topher was nearly mindless with his anger and Cray winced, quickly intervening and putting a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.

"Topher, it's alright," he said firmly. "I have it taken cared of. Justice will be served," he spoke quietly, only to him.

He was glad that his words seemed to have reached out to Topher a little, seeing him barely restrain himself. Topher took deep breaths before staring down Cray, eyes boring into him and charging him with bringing justice.

"You make sure my little girl's honor is restored, Cray. You make sure they get what they deserve," and then Topher yanked Cray closer, whispering hoarsely into his ear. "Make them pay for what they did to my daughter."

Cray nodded sharply and Topher shoved him away, and tore off angrily.

That year's games were mostly ignored, and the 65th Hunger Games passed on. Seneca Crane, a mostly new Gamemaker, had made his mark and sparked interest in him when he viciously almost single-handedly conducted the games and gave one of the biggest shows there was to date. What no one knew was that he was fueled by his anger and loss of a guardian angel that he'd cared for deeply…

Katniss was recovering slowly in the hospital in that time, but after the games she'd grown stronger. Strong enough, that whatever entity out there had decided she was stable enough to be able to come back into Seneca's life.

And the man himself, bitterly already working on designs for the next year's games, would stop and stare in amazement and wonder as she appeared to him again.

"You're…you're alive. You're here."

And he ran to her and scooped her up, whirling her around before clutching onto her tightly, burying his face into her head as he cried.

Her tiny hands brushed his hair back comfortingly, but when he pulled back he saw her looking at him sadly.

"You did something bad, didn't you," she said it like a statement and he was confused.

"What do you mean?"

She smiled in sorrow. "I can't tell you. It's not my place. You have to learn on your own. I'm just supposed to lead you right."

And then she kissed his nose, wings fluttering lightly before she faded away again.

Seneca swallowed harshly, not understanding what his angel had meant.

Time passed since that and Katniss was gradually getting better. In District 12, the games had basically been forgotten. So it came as a surprise when the Victory Tour finally reached their district and they'd not only been caught unprepared but off guard.

Finnick Odair was the victor that Hunger Games.

He didn't really celebrate. He made his speech, made his rounds around wherever he was supposed to, and then the fourteen year old cleverly escaped from the public eye and found a place to retreat to. The District 12 hospital was strangely a nice contrast to the blindingly white and sterile Capitol hospital he'd been subjected to after the games. The Capitol hospital reminded him of being too clean, too indifferent, too cold and impersonal…

He walked around with no one to stop him or bother him. Quietly, he made his way through the floors, and made it to an isolated area. The light streamed in there and made things seem brighter, and where the blinding white of the Capitol hospital had burned his eyes, this filled him with a strange sort of hope…the light soft and welcoming…

He passed by an open door and accidently looked in. His breath caught and he stared in wonder at the little girl lying peacefully on the bed, her blonde hair –looking right and wrong at the same time –laid out under her head and framing her like a halo.

Hesitantly, Finnick walked in and made his way to the chair by her side. He sat in it and watched her silently, awe filling him for some reason.

And then her eyes opened and soft gray eyes watched him forlornly.

"Things will be better. Just keep holding on. Be strong," her childish voice told him, but her voice was so firm and unyielding.

He left there, feeling better for once since leaving the arena and his spirits high after finding what he hadn't known he needed to hear. And though he didn't know it yet, those words would foretell the struggles still yet to come for him and that he needed to endure.

Most of all, those were the words he would hold onto and remember every time things got rough, and that he would look back to and keep him going on.

However, he was not the only victor to have come to District 12 and come across Katniss Everdeen.

_Enobaria had won her games at eighteen. She'd torn out her opponent's throat, but she had won. She had **survived**. And no one could take that from her. She would wear the pride of her win loud and clear, and even display it with her new teeth…because she was alive and she was a survivor._

"_You're sad," a little girl's voice called out and her head snapped up to see the little one sitting on a brick wall and watching her quietly._

"_No, little one. I'm not," she denied._

_The little girl smiled sadly._

"_You are."_

_Pursing her lips, she was about to refute again, when the little girl held out her arms to her and looked at her knowingly, sad smile still on her face. With no one around, she allowed herself to go this little girl and kneel before her, crying in her lap._

_Her mentor would find her an hour later, head on the lap of the girl, passed out with tears dried on her face. And the little girl would look at him and quietly hold her hand out._

_Brutus would take the much smaller hand in his and sit beside her, solemnly putting an arm around the little girl and using the other to reach out and brush through Enobaria's hair, as they silently sat together to wait for the young woman to wake up._

And after her, there were two siblings…

_Cashmere Astley looked at her brother, the one they'd allowed her to bring with her on her Victory Tour. He flinched at the deadened look on her face, but reached out and steadily took her hand._

"_Snow told me what I have to do. I don't want to do it," she told him stoically, having told him earlier what the President had propositioned to her._

"_Don't then," he told her._

"_And risk you and the others? Never," she smiled miserably at him._

"_I have your back, Cashmere," Gloss murmured. "Always."_

_She squeezed his hand._

"_Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow~" they heard a child's voice softly sing and they looked out to see a little girl playing by the bullet train, stacking up rocks. Then she looked up, straight at them, still singing. "Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes. And when again they open, the sun will rise."_

_Cashmere choked back a sob and laid her head on her brother's shoulder, while he put an arm around her. Then he took one of the cupcakes beside him that was part of the Victor buffet and held it out to the little girl._

"_Do you want to come in? You can eat some snacks with us," he smiled gently at the little girl._

_She tilted her head before flittering over to them like she was a butterfly._

_This meeting would repeat a second time, when Gloss would win the 64th Hunger Games right after his sister's win, and the two of them would return and instinctively wait and hope for a meeting with little Katniss._

_And she came, singing again._

"_Here it's safe, and here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you~"_

_They wrapped around her, holding her tight between them, with silent tears down their faces and a little more broken than the last time they were there._

"_Thank you, little Daisy. Stay tonight?" Gloss murmured to her._

_Katniss hesitated and Cashmere comfortingly threaded her fingers through the girl's hair._

"_My daddy and mommy will worry."_

_But seeing the disappointed faces, Katniss bit her lip._

"_But they can worry for one night."_

_Their rare smiles made her happy._

It had been a sure, if slow, recovery for Katniss. She hadn't been let out of the hospital for a long time, and had to go back frequently after her release for rehab and physical therapy. But she was okay now and had gone through a few more years as if the incident had never happened.

She was now eleven. Unknown to her, she was also making habitual and frequent visits to a rising Gamemaker, who happily received her each time. Her visits, however, were now accompanied by her new wings and he delighted in watching them flutter each time.

She also knew that for some reason her father and the Head Peacekeeper Cray weren't on good terms, and that it had something to do with what happened…that time.

Right now, she was with Darius and helping to fix up one of the buildings from that ghost town she'd discovered a long time ago. The peacekeepers that were off duty would come here and help fix it up when they could, and they usually took Katniss with them.

She avoided the church however.

For now, the area was unknown except to the peacekeepers, Katniss, and Topher, who'd wanted to see where his daughter had been brutally harmed and wanted to know where his daughter would be if she was ever to come there again or if he was to condone them bringing her.

"Darius! Lift me up, lift me up!"

The red-haired man scooped her onto his shoulders and they headed back to the stream, where they could find their way back to the meadow and then back to the district. They were laughing and teasing with each other when seven year old Primrose ran up to them and surprisingly in tears.

"Prim?" Katniss asked startled.

"Katniss! Katniss! Daddy's gone! Mommy says Daddy's gone and not coming back!"

Katniss stiffened up and felt herself go in shock, staring at her sister in disbelief.

"Katniss?" Darius asked worried.

Without further words, Katniss' eyes rolled back and she fainted, falling backwards from Darius' shoulders. The young peacekeeper turned in panic and thankfully managed to catch her mid-fall. Putting her onto the ground for a moment, he had Primrose get onto his shoulders and instructed her to hold on tight. Then he gathered Katniss back into his arms and took off, hesitating between the Everdeen home and the Peacekeeper Headquarters.

Knowing Mrs. Everdeen wasn't in a right state and that the two girls shouldn't see their mother like that, he went to the headquarters and hoped a sort of neutral place wouldn't trouble them and maybe give them the answers they needed to know.

Started 4/28/12 –Completed 4/28/12

A/n: Mmkay, I'm speeding up a bit and soon enough we'll be with the gang in The Hunger Games in the Capitol.

To Lena: Thank you! This one is kind of unusual, so I'm at least some people like it. I'm really getting back into the pairing, so I'm writing more for them.

To Maysilee: Thank you! And that's really pretty and unusual name!


	4. Madonna in the Forest

Disclaimer: Nope, just a fanfiction writer. I would be richer, if I did.  
Story: Seneca Crane doesn't know it, but Katniss Everdeen is his guardian angel. She's doesn't know it, but she's supposed to protect him. When they meet, they collide and soon leads to the War of Angels.  
Set AU of the first book, "The Hunger Games."  
Spoilers: Probably.  
Warnings: Cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Seneca/Katniss, one-sided Gale/Katniss, one-sided Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Clover, Peeta/Cashmere, Gloss/Madge, etc.

**Pruit Igoe & Prophecies**  
_Chapter Three: Madonna in the Forest_

It was raining again. How strange…

Katniss looked into the sky and frowned. She unstrung her bow and hid it, hesitating before finding a sturdy tree and scaling it, taking off her belt and using it to secure herself to the tree. She had started to lightly dose off, while it drizzled, when she felt something hit her forehead. She blinked several times and looked down. She saw Darius smirking up at her.

"Hey, Kitty Kat. The rain's gonna get heavier, so the tree's not gonna help. Come on down. Let's head to the Spiritum."

She inwardly shrugged and took off the belt, putting it back on before she climbed down easily.

"C'mere, you little squirrel," the peacekeeper teased, helping her down. "You want a piggyback to the town?"

She gave him a small smile and he thought it rather a shame that the bright little girl had dimmed so much since her father's passing. Not even that incident with the three men had hit her as hard as when Topher died.

Still, Topher's death had also seemed to have given the girl the gift of somehow erasing the memory of the incident with the men from her mind. She no longer recalled what had happened and the place that had once been a place of fear had become her favorite place to visit.

As soon as they entered the ghost town they'd named _Spiritum_, Latin for ghost (such as the town was), the rain began to become heavier. Holding hands, Darius made sure the twelve year old was securely on his shoulders before he set off into a run and towards the church. Inside, they burst in soaked and breathing hard. He set her down gently and held hands again as they walked to the altar in the middle of the room. Katniss ran ahead and went behind it, ducking down and disappearing. When he caught up, she was hiding in the space underneath in the middle, with her knees brought up and chin resting on them.

He squeezed in next to her, though he had to let his legs lay out as he was too big to be in the same position as her underneath the altar.

"Hey, Darius?" she whispered.

"Hm?"

"Look what I found," and she turned and rummaged around beside her before bringing it out and showing him a small book. Opening it up, he saw it was a book of songs. "They're called hymns," she told him. "They're really pretty…"

She began singing one and he guessed that she knew them all by heart now, or at least her favorites, as she wasn't taking the book from him and looking at a specific one from it.

"_Ave verum corpus, natum_ _de Maria Virgine,_ _vere passum, immolatum_ _in cruce pro homine,_" her voice was so light and airy, and sounded a little like the tinkling of bells to him.

He flipped to the page and sung the next verse himself.

"_Cuius latus perforatum_ _fluxit aqua et sanguine: esto nobis praegustatum_ _in mortis examine._"

Then together they sung the last part. "_O Iesu dulcis, O Iesu pie, O Iesu, fili Mariae._ _Miserere mei. Amen._"

Their voices rang out in the silent church, echoing after the last note. Katniss' eyebrows furrowed.

"Darius…I have a bad feeling about the coming years," she murmured. "I think hard times are coming."

Darius looked at her in dread. Katniss' feelings of the future were never to be ignored; those of District 12 had learned the hard way that those feelings were never wrong.

Later, when the rain let up and he led her back to the district, he headed to the headquarters. His eyes caught sight of the Head Peacekeeper, who was working single-mindedly on paperwork and ignoring all else around him.

"How is she?" but apparently not so oblivious, though it might have more to do with being involved with Katniss.

"How do you know I was with her?' he looked at his superior in restrained amusement.

Cray gave him a look before his eyes went back to his work.

"Katniss is fine," he reported gently. "A little quieter, a little solemn…but still Katniss."

"She's become much more serious than a girl her age should be," Cray murmured, his eyes glued to the page, though Darius was sure his mind was on Katniss.

"Perhaps, but at least she hasn't become too withdrawn," he shrugged.

The older peacekeeper kept quiet, not looking away from his work, and Darius took that as a sign that he was dismissed and the conversation was over. Still, he glanced back at the older man and watched him for a few moments. Cray, too, had become a bit different since Topher's death…in fact, he'd been different since that time all those years ago…

He left the man to his work and thoughts, though Cray sorely wished that he had something else to distract him.

The thoughts plaguing him revolved around the Everdeen family, mostly of Katniss and a little of her late father. He remembered the promise he'd made all those years ago…several promises…

_His hand shook on his Beretta, his finger on the trigger trembling. The man before him was blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back, kneeling before him. Two other men in a similar position were beside him. The Seam man was muttering prayers, while the Town man wept. His former peacekeeper was quiet and still, almost accepting of the sentence._

_He'd promised Topher justice would be dealt. **He** wanted to do this, and they deserved it for what they did to Katniss. But a flash of gray eyes went through his head and he saw a little girl's face start to look at him in disappointment._

_**Katniss** wouldn't have wanted this._

_He lowered his hand and the peacekeepers behind him started moving restlessly._

"_Take them back," he said stoically._

"_Sir?" one of them questioned hesitantly._

"_I said take them back. Make sure their cells are locked up and they're watched. They're getting a life sentence at the prison, once we've got their permanent places there set up."_

_None of his men were happy about it, but they quietly submitted to his order, grabbing the prisoners and dragging them, roughly, back to their jail cells. He swallowed harshly and knew this wasn't going to go over well –not with his men, not with the district, and definitely not with Topher._

_He was right, of course, when he heard the outraged cries and saw the angry dark glare of the father of the victim when his decision to put the three men into the prison with life sentences was spread through the district._

_He couldn't forget the furious eyes of Christopher Everdeen, as much as he couldn't forget the imagined disappointed eyes of the man's daughter._

'_You promised,' the man's eyes said._

_He'd broken that promise. He'd also promised a long time before that he would help take care of Katniss if something happened to Topher, a promise made to himself and to the man._

_He reaffirmed that promise upon the man's death._

Cray was doing all he could, without showing favoritism or being outright obvious in it, to help the Everdeen family. And especially Katniss. But sometimes, it just wasn't enough…

The girl in questioned had just entered her home, going to do housework. Her mother was still, for the most part, in her own world these days, apart from taking care of the new apothecary she'd opened up or when people came to her for help and needed to be healed and couldn't afford the hospital. That left Katniss to do the work around the house and take care of both her sister and her mother, when her mom was home. And if it wasn't housework, it was out hunting and bargaining, and doing whatever she could to help bring food to the table and take care of her family.

She would not, could not, be weak now. And if she faltered, so too would her family. She needed to be strong and not give up.

Blue eyes like ice, steely even, gave her strength as flashes of them went through her mind frequently since her father's death.

It was this person, who she didn't know, who gave her courage to stand up and keep going on. It was also this person who had become so withdrawn into himself that if she, as she had once known him, had come to see him and talked with him, she wouldn't have recognized him.

This new man was not her Seneca Crane.

After her father's death, she didn't visit the Gamemaker anymore. As time passed and visits from her stopped completely and he no longer saw her, no longer had her to look forward to, and she just disappeared from his life, Seneca became more focused on his work than ever. Even hesitancies he'd once had on behalf of the games were now gone and he was brilliant in his field, and the most talked about Gamemaker in the Capitol.

Rumors of his promotion to Head Gamemaker, even at such a young age, were spreading like rapid fire. His traps were ingenious, his ideas creative, and his mind were praised by all. Even the President had personally commended him.

In the beginning, outwardly he'd smiled and accepted their words, while in the inside he was apathetic and cold, uncaring to what they said. And then, as he began to block out all memories and thoughts of his guardian angel, his smiles became more genuine and he became prideful of his work, and strove to become the best once more.

There was no angel to hint of right and wrong and put pressure on his heart and mind –no angel to put the hesitancy and doubt in him. All he had now was his work, the people, and the games.

It wasn't long until he'd forgotten all about his guardian angel and forgot she ever existed…

* * *

Everyone knew of little Katniss Everdeen, headstrong and independent little girl that she was. She was as bright as the sun, even with her dark hair (he'd once heard that she used to have dyed blonde) and gray eyes. She drew smiles and care everywhere she went. Ever since her father died, she'd taken up being head of the house and was responsible as they come. She took care of both her mom and sister, brought food to the home, and even the peacekeepers held a soft spot for her.

And now Gale Hawthorne was watching her in awe as she traipsed through the forest like a wildcat, and then easily shooting an arrow through a squirrel. Still, he'd watch her move through the forest like she belonged, sun shining down around her and making a halo around her dark tresses. The soft smile on her face as she ran along…she just looked like a wood nymph or something supernatural.

Just something _ethereal_.

"If it isn't too much trouble, could you get out of there? You watching me is distracting my senses and I can't hunt properly," the little spitfire said wryly and he bemusedly revealed himself.

"So you hunt, little Catnip?" he smiled teasingly at her.

"Hmph, of course!" she almost pouted. "And don't call me that!"

"Sure, sure, Catnip," he couldn't resist.

She glared at him. However, suddenly they were watching each other warily, realizing the other was a stranger, Gale more so to Katniss than the other way around. They were also both illegally hunting and had caught each other; worse that they were on the same hunting ground and potentially encroaching on the other's territory and stealing prey.

"Take it easy now," Gale took the first step. "The name's Gale. You're Katniss Everdeen, right?"

"How do you know me?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

He rolled his. "Who doesn't know you around the district?"

She blushed easily at that and he refrained from laughing. It was kind of an adorable sight though…

"So…listen," he hesitantly started. "I don't mind sharing this place with you, and I won't tell if you don't," he hedged about the illegal hunting.

"Okay," she answered. But then continued flippantly, "Darius the Peacekeeper knows anyway. So does Cray, the Head. They know already and besides, they're who we sell to anyways, right?"

It was a good point, but still.

But they still ended up learning to hunt together and help with each other's prey. It was awkward and difficult at first, but they slowly started to work together and even become friends while they were at it. And an ever present feeling, Gale couldn't help but think that she was something special. She made him feel as if the whole world was brighter and a warmth entered him at the sight of her, especially watching her hunt. Even more present –her gaze would at times bear down on him and he could feel judged, or as if she could see through him, right down to his soul. It was as if her eyes could see deep down inside of him, bear all his truths and secrets to her eyes, and lay him out with nothing to hide behind…

One day, they were returning from the forest to the district. Walking passed the bakery, a lone blond boy watched the older and darker haired boy walk with Katniss enviously.

Peeta Mellark had known, while not more than even acquaintances, Katniss first.

And yet, he couldn't be any farther away from her. He was too afraid, too shy of ever approaching the girl, though he often wished that wasn't so. In fact, he wished he could be braver and at least speak a few words to Katniss. But never did it seem that would ever happen.

He could still remember the day he first saw her. His father had explained who she was, the daughter of the woman he'd loved –someone who had fallen in love with a man with a beautiful voice and ran off with thereafter. And then he heard Katniss Everdeen sing that day and completely understood what his father had been talking about, where he'd been coming from.

The moment he'd heard her sing, he was a goner from listening to that angelic voice.

And watching her through the years, it almost was as if she really was an angel.

Started 5/3/12 –Completed 5/3/12

A/n: Ohohoho! So Peeta and Gale finally make an appearance. Next we have Finnick making another appearance, Katniss meeting Annie, and Plutarch not always being the good guy we know.

Sorry y'all for now replying to everyone. I just want to get chapters out. I keep postponing and postponing and postponing…


	5. Lilium Inter Spinas

Disclaimer: Nope, just a fanfiction writer. I would be richer, if I did.  
Story: Seneca Crane doesn't know it, but Katniss Everdeen is his guardian angel. She's doesn't know it, but she's supposed to protect him. When they meet, they collide and soon leads to the War of Angels.  
Set AU of the first book, "The Hunger Games."  
Spoilers: Probably.  
Warnings: Cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Seneca/Katniss, one-sided Gale/Katniss, one-sided Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Clove, Peeta/Cashmere, Gloss/Madge, etc.

**Pruit Igoe & Prophecies  
**_Chapter Five: Lilium Inter Spinas_

_Peeta gazed outside and swallowed heavily, glancing quickly at his mother. The dark-haired girl lay outside, looking half dead. Licking his lips, his hands slowly reached the dial of the stove and turned it up. He waited and in a few moments, starting to smell the burnt smell in the air, he turned the dial back down and waited. His mother came to check up on the bread and noticed the smell right away, screeching at him and starting to slap at his head, face, and arms when he held them up trying to protect himself._

"_Useless brat! You couldn't even watch the bread? Get out of here! Toss the bread to the pigs, you idiot child!"_

_He grabbed the scalding bread from the stove and ran off. Making sure his mother wasn't around and that she couldn't see him, he looked warily at the barely hanging on girl. She peeked her eyes open, as if she could tell he was there, and he tossed the bread at her. He winced._

_He should've gone in the rain…he should've just went and handed it to her…_

_But then she gazed at him and he felt a weight enter him. And then she gave a small smile that he inhaled sharply at. He felt as if he'd just been judged and found worthy; even more, that he had just been blessed and approved of._

_He was glad he had the courage to at least do this little good thing…_

Now she was in front of him again, only buying a cake this time.

"What do you want, Kitty Kat?" Darius the Peacekeeper asked as they examined the cakes on display.

She immediately hit his arm. "Don't call me that. Seriously, you and Gale…Anyways, what do you think Prim would like?"

Darius rubbed his arm. "She likes whatever _you_ like," he answered wryly. "So choose."

"I like the blue-tinged lemon cake," she pointed out the lemon cake that his father had managed to color blue.

"You always go after blue things. Why is that?" Darius asked, genuinely curious.

She shrugged. "I like blue things. It's my favorite color."

Peeta almost blurted out that he had blue eyes.

"Alright! That blue cake, kid," Darius directed to him and Peeta obediently went to it, carefully taking it and boxing it up for them.

Ringing up their purchase, he watched them leave with a longing air.

"Thanks, Darius," she beamed at him.

He waved it off. "A treat now and then is good. Now, do you want to leave a piece for Prim at the house and then eat the rest at the church?"

"Hmm…maybe not at the church. Let's check out the Building A1," she told him.

As they did so, they had just been in the middle of eating on an upturned box, with using smaller ones as chairs, when Katniss looked up distractedly. Her eyes sort of glazed over as her eyebrows furrowed.

"_How about something to do with water? It'll be different for the games…"_

She looked sorrowfully as she murmured, "Please don't drown in the darkness…"

"Katniss?"

She snapped out of it and gave Darius a timid smile, though she had trouble recalling what had happened just then. Only that she felt really sad and she desperately wanted to reach out to someone right then. Who, she had no idea…but her heart was aching.

"And lead us not into temptation," she muttered under her breath, rubbing at her chest to soothe the pain. For some reason, she thought it fitting…

The man in question was in a meeting with his fellow Gamemakers. Seneca had just suggested the use of water for the 70th Hunger Games and everyone was considering it very carefully, intrigued and wondering how they would be able to utilize the element.

"Yes, that sounds ideal. We could flood the arena, make it hard on the tributes to travel," Plutarch Heavensbee mused as the Head Gamemaker for the year.

Seneca grimaced. "If I may, sir. I don't believe that would be wise."

Plutarch raised his eyebrows at him. "Why not? And you are the one who suggested water."

The younger man steeled himself to being rather defiant. "I did, but I hadn't thought of using water in that way. If we just flood the arena, most of the tributes won't be able to swim. Most of them will die probably within the beginning of the games and the lack of excitement and gore would probably bore the audience."

But Plutarch waved him off dismissively. "Tributes fighting for their lives always excites the audience. They'll be satisfied with this."

And that was the discussion closed.

Seneca frowned to himself and thought his suggestion was about to be underused, sighing to himself. So much for his idea…

But when the time came, he stoically sat by and watched. Well, if they were going to use his idea in this way, he was damn well going to at least make it look spectacular. Grabbing his Gamemaker control panel, he overrode the gamemaker crew controls and began to create his flood.

And it was going to be a beautiful, monstrous flood.

He chose five points around the arena's top, letting the waters start to gush from there. Then he made a half circle movement with his finger on the panel, directing the waters to move in a circular motion. The roar of the waters sounded unforgiving as they poured into the arena and created a whirlpool in the air that slowly descended onto the ground of the arena, where the tributes waited, watching with mouths agape and incredulous eyes.

"_Seneca."_

_A white feather._

The waters moved in mesmerizing arrangements, elegantly moving in the air and performing acrobatics, dipping underneath and over each other, arching and even dipping down to attack the tributes and land as if in angry vengeance. For a second, they even resembled water dragons before forming seamlessly into regular water tubes.

_So many white feathers…_

"Alright, Seneca. You've had your fun. Flood the arena," Plutarch's irritated voice echoed into his headset and Seneca grinned to himself.

Then he let loose the water after making one full circular motion, letting it come down on the tributes in various tidal waves that started to form a larger whirlpool than the earlier one, catching the tributes into its embrace as it swept them away into its furious whirling.

Later, when the games ended (one of the quickest Hunger Games in history), he was completely right by the audiences' reaction. Aside from his stunning water display at the beginning, the audience was dissatisfied with the lack of fighting and all the quick deaths.

"Magnificent water show in the beginning, Seneca," President Snow complimented him coolly. "I hear the water idea was yours?"

Seneca twitched. "Yes, though it wasn't supposed to go about like that," he grumbled.

"I heard that you'd voiced your dissatisfaction with Plutarch's decision. In curiosity, what had you been thinking to do with water, had you been in charge?" the President's voice felt like oil over his skin…

Seneca forced a smile. "There's something called acid rain. I was thinking of making that a little more literal in the arena, so that the tributes would be forced to seek shelter and use the survival skills they're supposed to know. It would have made a more level and interesting playing field, and even put the Careers at a disadvantage for once. And if I had to flood the arena, I would have had the arena already set up with water, with stepping stones and other areas the tributes could use to travel on, while facing a balance problem and possibly falling to the water to be drowned or maybe caught by some kind of water muttation."

"Such interesting ideas, Seneca. Shame you weren't Head Gamemaker this year," Snow nodded at him before leaving.

Seneca let a sigh of relief out at the compliment. He never relaxed or felt comfortable in the presence of the President.

He went off to help set up the plans for the 70th Hunger Games Victory Tour, musing to himself that perhaps he should make a muttation as a pet for himself (maybe help cure some of the loneliness he was stuck with)…something with white feathers…

As for the winner, she would be stuck in the hospital, confined to her room as her mind was locked within itself. Having seen someone beheaded had definitely scarred her and Annie Cresta abhorred violence in the first place. Such a thing to see would traumatize her so much…

Finnick had been there a few times, trying to get her to talk. But she couldn't. So she just stared up at the ceiling as he sat by her, holding her hand every once in a while.

When the Victory Tour came around, she barely reacted, speaking robotically to the audience. Then came District 12 and Finnick was strangely excited and anxious upon reaching the district. She barely paid attention. Looking around the main cabin, her eyes landed on Plutarch Heavensbee laughing loudly at something their escort had said. He was strangely accompanying them.

She saw him look at Finnick, a small odd smile on his face, before he looked away. She blinked slowly, dismissing it, before looking back through the window and at the images rushing by.

They slowed to a stop and then she was again saying her speech, before she retreated to herself, walking off into the district and wandering off by herself. She was just walking by one of the old mines, one that had been in an explosion just the last year and was still under construction. Her eyes widened when she saw a young girl humming to herself by the entrance, swaying slightly as she gazed into the dark mouth of the entrance to the mine.

The girl turned suddenly and Annie was suddenly confronted with serious gray eyes and a solemn face. As if in a trance, she stood there as the girl walked slowly to her, stopping in front of her seemingly with a purpose.

"You're broken," the unknown girl murmured. "You're broken inside."

Annie unexpectedly became choked up with tears, involuntarily starting to bend in on herself. That allowed her to bend towards the girl, who abruptly placed her small hands on either side of her head and grip it firmly. She kissed her forehead and lingered for a moment, before moving Annie's head back. Annie stared into her eyes and breathed heavily.

"I hope you find your glue, lost one. Time moves and may heal all wounds…but it's up to you to believe and have faith."

The girl smiled warmly at her before moving around her and dancing off. Annie's forehead tingled from the kiss still, and she felt more alive than she had been since the games. A light feeling entered her right then. When the girl had kissed her, the hollowness inside of her had retreated a bit. When the girl had smiled at her, she even felt herself become a little happy. The whole meeting had made her feel healed and a little bit more whole –it was like the girl had saved her from the insanity that had been plaguing her since the Hunger Games.

She started to cry again, before she just broke down completely and dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her mentor and friend (maybe even more) would never have let her go off on her own, but he had currently been preoccupied. Now, after her encounter, he was left to lie on the bed, blankly staring up at the ceiling like Annie had in the hospital, and hanging onto the words a little girl from there had spoken to him years ago.

Plutarch muttered to himself, putting on enough clothes to be considered decent enough to go out in, and left Finnick behind so that he could take a breath of fresh air and relax in the outdoors. After a few blocks outside, he ran across a rather pretty girl with dark hair and gray eyes, softly singing under her breath as she braided flowers into a necklace. If she ever went into the games, she would probably (if she won) become a prized addition to the system of victors grouped for the Capitol elites' collection…

She looked up and he took a sharp breath at the intense look in her eyes.

Plutarch had never felt as bare as he did then, as if she was reading his soul and judging him. She frowned in disappointment at him, eyes looking at him pityingly.

"You've done a bad thing, haven't you," she said, not asked. "You always do bad things. Are you a bad man, sir?"

"N-no," he choked out, breath speeding up. "I'm not, little one."

"Then why does your soul cry and scream?"

Plutarch stared at her, unmindful or just plain not noticing the tears dropping from his eyes. She only gazed back at him, not faltering in her judgment.

"I-I'm sorry…I'm…sorry…I'm so sorry," he gasped out, feeling his dress shirt suddenly feel like it was choking him. He hurriedly loosened it, wiping his face of the tears, but they just kept coming. "I'm so sorry…"

He cried out and dropped to his knees, just like a victor had earlier, only he crawled towards the little girl and wept at her feet, muttering apologies and feeling the world was a dark place and he had helped made it that way. A small hand landed on his head and though it was small and light, he felt as if it was heavy and the weight of judgment was on it. He burst out in confession, admitting everything he'd done in his life and even what he'd just did recently, mind flickering back in remembrance of the quiet and still victor still in his bed.

"Do you repent?"

"I do," he murmured. "I do. I repent. Please…"

And then his head was tilted up and soft kisses were placed on his closed eyelids.

"Be absolved and seek penance. Right your wrongs and make amends, Plutarch Heavensbee."

And when he opened his eyes again, she was gone and he was alone. After a few moments of trying to gather himself back together and calm his torrid of emotions, he stumbled up to his feet and began making his way back to the train. He burst into his room, startling the still tired out and abused victor, who watched him as he tore around his room, grabbing things to carry with him back to the bed. He could see Finnick flinch, expecting another round or some other sort of situation, and he flinched himself.

Instead, he forcefully lay the younger man down, grabbed the small hand towel and dipped it into the bowl of water he had. Then he began tenderly cleaning the male up, wiping sweat and other substances off of him and avoiding looking into sea-green eyes, knowing he was being watched carefully with confusion mixed in. Afterwards, he took the healing cream and began to apply it generously.

He'd been too rough with Finnick that evening.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he kept muttering, hands shaking as he tried to heal the victor before him. "I'm sorry."

He repeated those words as if they were the only things he knew how to say. When he accidentally glanced up, he saw Finnick looking at him almost…_knowingly_ and in understanding.

He accepted and was grateful of the embrace Finnick Odair pulled him in, sobbing into his hands as he leaned his head against the younger male's chest, and continuing to murmur his apologies outside of his cries.

Started 5/5/12 –Completed 5/5/12

A/n: (whistling innocently) Um, don't kill me? So, I know Plutarch should be a good guy, but you know…maybe he didn't start out that way? Omg, I feel horrid right now. Why do I abuse my characters so? Anyways, next up should start off with being caught up to the books. That means, The Reaping and going to the Capitol. Yay, the setup's for the past is finally done~


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